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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Lead Java Developer

💰 $150,000 - $220,000

Software EngineeringJava DevelopmentBackend EngineeringTechnical Leadership

🎯 Role Definition

Are you a passionate and experienced Java Developer ready to take the next step in your career? This role requires a dynamic Lead Java Developer to join our innovative technology team. In this pivotal role, you will not only be a hands-on technical expert but also a mentor and guide for a team of talented engineers. You will be responsible for the architectural design, development, and delivery of our core backend services, which form the backbone of our product suite. This is a unique opportunity to shape our technical direction, drive engineering excellence, and make a significant impact on a platform used by thousands. If you thrive on solving complex problems, leading by example, and fostering a culture of high performance, we want to hear from you.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Senior Java Developer
  • Senior Software Engineer (Java Specialization)
  • Backend Team Lead

Advancement To:

  • Software Architect
  • Engineering Manager
  • Principal Software Engineer

Lateral Moves:

  • Solutions Architect
  • Lead DevOps Engineer

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Lead the architectural design and end-to-end development of complex, scalable, and resilient Java-based microservices and backend systems.
  • Mentor, coach, and provide technical guidance to a team of Java developers, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.
  • Act as a primary hands-on contributor, writing clean, high-quality, and maintainable code for critical features and core platform components.
  • Establish and enforce best practices for the full software development lifecycle, including coding standards, code reviews, source control management, and testing protocols.
  • Drive technical roadmap discussions and translate business requirements from product stakeholders into detailed technical specifications and architectural blueprints.
  • Champion the adoption of modern technologies and methodologies, such as cloud-native principles, CI/CD pipelines, and containerization with Docker and Kubernetes.
  • Own the operational excellence of your team's services, including monitoring, alerting, and leading the resolution of complex production incidents and performance bottlenecks.
  • Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including product management, DevOps, and QA, to ensure seamless and timely delivery of project goals.
  • Conduct in-depth code reviews to ensure code quality, performance, and adherence to security best practices across the team's deliverables.
  • Spearhead initiatives to reduce technical debt, refactor legacy code, and modernize the application stack for improved scalability and maintainability.
  • Design and implement robust, secure, and performant RESTful APIs and event-driven architectures using technologies like Kafka or RabbitMQ.
  • Lead technical deep-dive sessions, proof-of-concept projects, and architectural review meetings to evaluate new frameworks and technologies.
  • Define and track key engineering metrics related to system performance, availability, and team velocity to inform strategic decisions.
  • Participate actively in the hiring and onboarding process to attract and retain top engineering talent for the Java development team.
  • Create and maintain comprehensive technical documentation, including system designs, architecture diagrams, and API specifications.
  • Ensure the security of our applications by staying current with security trends, conducting vulnerability assessments, and implementing necessary safeguards.
  • Optimize application and database performance by profiling, query tuning, and implementing effective caching strategies.
  • Guide the team in agile/scrum practices, facilitating sprint planning, retrospectives, and backlog grooming sessions to ensure predictable delivery.
  • Serve as the technical subject matter expert for the team's domain, providing insights and recommendations to both technical and non-technical leadership.
  • Investigate, debug, and resolve complex software defects and production issues, providing root cause analysis and implementing preventative measures.
  • Drive the automation of build, deployment, and testing processes to enhance development efficiency and speed to market.
  • Foster a positive and inclusive team environment where every member feels empowered to contribute their best work and grow their skills.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis for technical troubleshooting.
  • Contribute to the organization's broader technology strategy and engineering roadmap.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate high-level needs into actionable engineering requirements.
  • Participate in and lead various agile ceremonies, ensuring the team stays aligned and productive.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Expert proficiency in modern Java (11/17+) and a deep understanding of the JVM.
  • Extensive experience with the Spring Framework, particularly Spring Boot, Spring MVC, and Spring Security.
  • Deep understanding of microservices architecture, distributed systems, and related design patterns.
  • Proven ability to design, develop, and document scalable RESTful APIs and web services.
  • Strong experience with both relational (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL) and NoSQL (e.g., MongoDB, Redis) databases.
  • Hands-on experience with a major cloud platform such as AWS, GCP, or Azure.
  • Proficiency with containerization technologies like Docker and orchestration tools like Kubernetes.
  • Solid experience with CI/CD pipelines (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab CI) and build tools (e.g., Maven, Gradle).
  • Experience with message brokers and event-streaming platforms like Apache Kafka or RabbitMQ.
  • Strong knowledge of software testing principles and frameworks (e.g., JUnit, Mockito, TDD/BDD).
  • Familiarity with infrastructure as code (IaC) tools like Terraform or CloudFormation.

Soft Skills

  • Technical Leadership and Mentorship
  • Exceptional Problem-Solving and Analytical Skills
  • Strategic Thinking and Architectural Vision
  • Excellent Verbal and Written Communication
  • Strong Collaboration and Team-building Abilities
  • High Degree of Ownership and Accountability
  • Adaptability and Resilience in a Fast-Paced Environment

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's Degree in a relevant field or equivalent professional experience.

Preferred Education:

  • Master's Degree in Computer Science or a related technical field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Computer Science
  • Software Engineering
  • Information Technology

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 8-12+ years of professional software development experience.

Preferred:

  • A minimum of 3 years of experience in a technical lead, principal engineer, or senior mentorship role, with a proven track record of leading successful development projects and teams.
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